HOW TO HANDLE NEAR RAPE SITUATION
Unwanabasi Tom
The issue of rape has always been with us from time immemorial, as a matter of fact it started in Bible times when Tamar was violated by her own blood brother Amnon. Rape is not something that any sensible person should never wish even his enemies to experience because the pain, the shame, the humiliation, the trauma, lives with the victim forever. This should be discouraged in its entirety and rapists should be properly prosecuted and made to face the wrath of the law.
This is my story: My name is Florence Fani, I lived in Uyo in Akwa Ibom State. It happened in the year 2010 when I got an admission to study Mechanical Engineering at the Federal University of Technology (FUTO) Owerri in Imo State. I left my state one beautiful Monday morning with an intention to go for clearance at my School, and then return the following day to finally park my belongings to resume school the following week.
On getting to the park around midday, the taxis going directly from Uyo to Owerri had all departed and I had no other option than to join the ones heading to Aba, a popular city in the neighbouring Abia State, so as to join another taxi that will finally take me to Owerri from there. By the time we finally arrived at Aba after the several stop overs on the road, no thanks to the security operatives mounting the various road blocks, it was already dark and there were no taxi to take me to my destination and I almost became stranded.
I thought of the next action to take, to look for any nearby guest house to spend the night and then continue my journey the next day. But at that point the physical cash on me would not be enough as I didn’t even plan for the extra spending. I asked one of the drivers where the nearby ATM was so at least I could get some cash from there and then look around for a guest house. At that point one of the guys who boarded the same taxi with me, came and asked if I would not mind coming over to their house to spend the night and then continue my journey very early the next day. Honestly, for me this was a big relief and I answered in the affirmative. I thanked him for being an instrument of help from God and we boarded a tricycle (Keke) heading to their house.
The house in question was a one room flat, which is a room with a parlour; a very neat apartment that he shared with his friend. When we got in, he introduced me to his friend and told him everything that happened. Both of them appeared to be very nice and I felt at home just that I refused to change the clothes I was wearing, bath or eat anything they offered me because the spirit in me didn’t give me a release to do so.
We had enough time to gist, talked about so many things till around 11pm when it was time to sleep. They offered me their bed room to sleep but I refused. I told them that I was comfortable sleeping on the sofa in the sitting room. All their pleas and persuasions fell on deaf ears as I wouldn’t change my mind. At last, his friend left us and went inside to sleep while this guy said he won’t go anywhere but will sit there to watch over me. I made him to understand that I have guardian angels watching over me all round the clock and that I do not need any human watch man. He laughed over it and finally went inside to sleep.
I laid there chatting up my friends and school mates with my phone and I didn’t even know when I fell asleep. I must have slept for a while because I was really tired and needed a good sleep that night. Half way into my sleep, the unimaginable happened.
It was around 2am that I felt a cold hand running on my laps under my skirt, I was startled as I woke up and grabbed his hand while using my phone light to point at who it was – the person who offered to help – whom I thought was an angel sent by God, not knowing that he had ulterior motives. He wanted to take the advantage of the situation and rape me.
I was very mad at him that night and I asked him why he wanted to defile me after he appeared to be an angel earlier. He pleaded and begged me to forgive him that it was the devil that pushed him. I ordered him to sit down that I wanted to talk to him.
He obeyed and sat at the floor and I asked him if he knew who I was which he shook his head to show that he never knew who I was. I explained to him that I could be possessed with an evil spirit and that sleeping with me could ruin his destiny. He became so terrified at this point that everything in him was shaking. He then asked me to please pray for him so that such evil spirit of rape could depart from him. I asked him to read his bible and then pray. He humbly took my advice. Then, I asked him to go inside where his friend was and sleep which he obeyed without hesitating.
The morning came and I picked by bags, thanked them for the offer and left for the park where I boarded a taxi to my destination. Since that day, anytime I came to Aba, I will call him and he will come over to meet me. He shared a testimony that from that night’s encounter, that evil spirit that normally drove him to take advantage of girls, had left him and he had become a changed man completely to the glory of God.
If all the rapists will encounter Christ, their lives can be transformed till they become God’s mouth piece to discourage other rapists from perpetuating such dastardly and heinous act. Stop the rape! It is evil!
